Month: January 1970

What are/is Foma? They’re harmless untruths, according to this weblog. I looked it up in a dictionary, and since Merriam Webster didn’t list it, and Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access and Fuel-Oxidizer Management Assembly were the only definitions dictionary.com could provide, we’re going to have to go with this author’s definition. The first entry he’s made on this weblog, in April 2005, goes into a bit more explanation as to how he defines a Fomas. Although after reading the entire site, I’m still not sure where the Foma bit comes into play.

Design-wise, the site is a Blogger template that I’ve seen 2098 times before. The site’s hosted by Blog*Spot, so the only author profile I get is the one this blogging tool’s site provides – the author is married with a teenage son and lives near Baltimore, MD. Occasionally, the author will provide us with a bit more about himself through the actual weblog posts.

From April to July 2005, the posts are very sparse. Then, in August, he begins to update regularly. His son is back home from an emergency appendectomy, and the author’s life is startling to settle down a bit. His content-focused posts are good. They’re not posts that will appeal to everyone, but those who follow comics and the liking will very likely follow these posts with great provocation.

A post he makes in early August called “What Makes a Good Blog?” makes a very good point about blogging and what makes a site worthy of regular visitors. The author writes: If you can’t get your point across in three paragraphs, you have lost the random surfer. And if you don’t have something fresh to say, no one is going to bookmark you and come back. This author, whose name I never think I learned, does a good job of following his own rules here. While his content may not be interesting to every reader, he tends to keep general posts (about tracking his blog’s popularity or about the internet in general, for instance) to his previously mentioned three paragraphs… or at least short paragraphs that don’t require a lot of thought to process what’s been written.

There are other posts that stood out to me, too. A popular meme among many, many bloggers is the list of 100 things about the author. I’ve seen this a ton of times, and also participated myself a time or two. The author of this site, however, puts a different spin on it. He gives readers 100 things about this dog. As a new dog owner, I think I’m going to have to give that one a whirl sometime. And personally, I really loved his proposed candidates for the open Supreme Court seat after Harriet Miers had withdrawn her nomination. I’m a big fan of Judge Judy holding that position.

This site grows on you. If you start at the beginning of the site as I did, it takes a while before the site actually clicks with you and makes you want to read more. Once the author hits his rhythm, FOMA turns into quite a fun site. He still talks about his comic book interests and has quite a following about those posts. It’s also very obvious that he finds his comfort zone with blogging and begins to share more things with his readers – pictures, personal antecdotes, etc.

This is one of the few weblogs that I’ve found that may be more appealing from starting in the middle of the site. The author’s blogging shoes seem to perfectly fit now and from here on out, I think this site will definitely find a regular group of readers.
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“Dating Misadventures of a 40 something man…” immediately sounded like it would be a fun site to read. Dating misadventures of anyone’s other than my own usually keep me fairly entertained – sad, but true. I was definitely looking forward to reading and reviewing this weblog.

This site is hosted by bloglines.com. Not only are they offering a very popular RSS reader, but they’re also providing a site where people can start a weblog. Everyone’s out to grab a piece of the blogging world, it seems. The design of the site is sorely lacking. There are no graphics, no extra links, no information about the site or the author other than what’s available in the eight entries that have been made. The date on the first entry is November 15th – this site is just a few weeks old.

In short, this site is written by a man in his late 40s, who has decided to publicize his dating progress via this weblog. He’s divorced and through the typical disaster of a relationship, and is now focusing his sights on, in his words, going “after the most unaccessible [sic] women”. This is what we get to read.

I was somewhat entertained by the entries, but the entertainment value I was hoping for didn’t even come close to meeting my expectations. There’s an introductory paragraph, which is greatly appreciated. The posts that follow touch on different aspects of dating – mainly in the online world of matchmaking. The author of the site reviews some of the online dating sites available, and recounts his experiences in speed dating and Russian mail order bride scams.

What the author writes here is real. Anyone in the dating scene can attest to this. Reading an older (than me) male’s point of view on the dating scene is certainly eye opening. While this weblog doesn’t have the “it” factor that makes it stand out from other weblogs that mention dating in the real and online world, it does have some potential.

What would I need for this site in order to give it a higher rating? My first and more important answer is definitely more entries. While it may not be in the author’s best interest or his hope for the future, as a reader, I can only hope his dead end dating continues so that this weblog can continue to grow and entertain readers. After a few months, I can see this site really becoming an entertaining read – one like I’d expected.
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This blog is a guide to fundraising for non-profit organizations. No particular kind of non-profit is targeted. This scattershot approach caused me to wonder if the author of the site, Sandra Sims, self-styled “fundraising coach,” was selling something–perhaps her coaching services? It turns out that Sandra is not available for consulting on fundraising events, which surprised me since she says, “…and I, as your Fundraising Coach, will be with you every step of the way!” (from the “About” section.) Elsewhere, under “Services,” she says something different, “For more personal assistance beyond basic questions, I would recommend one of several fundraising consultants….”

This left me a tad confused. Is she selling links? Getting fees for referrals? She offers a book and a newsletter, but both seem to be free. Further investigation reveals that she is selling a few things. You can find them under the “Products” link on the left sidebar.

This is a business site, not a personal site. As such, I did not find it interesting. I am not involved in fundraising and have no desire to be. The main page is a series of articles about fundraising-related topics, which are not presented in any particular order. You must click on the title of a post to read the entire thing. Some of the articles are written by Sandra Sims, others link to outside sites. However, you can’t tell which is which until you click through. The sources are attributed, but not on the main page.

The quality of the writing is acceptable. The tone is perky and encouraging. Grammar and syntax are correct and there are no glaring spelling or punctuation problems. It is entirely readable if not inspiring. The design is business-like and professional. The special features include a “forum” and a monthly newsletter to which one may subscribe. You can tell immediately that you are not visiting a personal site. It looks like this site is trying to sell you something–and it is.

I find it difficult to rate this site. If I were a fundraiser, I might find it useful, but only if I were doing small-scale, low-budget work. However, those doing professional development work won’t find it very helpful. I do not recommend the site to the casual reader, but if you are planning a walk-a-thon or a bake sale, you may want to take a look.NULL

A blog about dating! Sounds great. This is the kind of thing I like to read (and write) so I was eager to dive in. First, this is the only blog I’ve ever read that lives in the “bloglines” template. It has absolutely no frills, but that’s fine. A good blog is all about content and the bloglines layout is simplicity itself. It is easy to read and easy to navigate. There are no features to speak of–no links outside of the ones that are built in, no “about me” section, though the first entry gives the basic intent of the blog.

Speaking of the first entry, it is dated November 15, 2005. This is a baby blog. I read the entire thing in twelve minutes, but I’m a fast reader. The writer, as he tells us in the first post, is “a 48 year old man about to re-enter the world of dating after a nineteen year marriage, and a disasterous [sic] two year rebound relationship.” I’m able to sympathize with him until I read, “…this time I have set my sights high, and I am resolved to go after the most unaccessible [sic] women. I have decided at this stage in life, the chase is often more interesting than the catch.” I don’t like him as much after I read this. Is he just dating for dating’s sake? Looking to get laid or what? How much is he actually going to tell us about his chase? As it turns out, not much, at least not so far.

The rest of the entries give his take on a few of the more popular on-line dating services, a near-miss with a Russian bride scam, his experiences at a speed dating event and an ill-advised comparison of baseball and dating. I was bored. I feel like I’ve read all this before and there were no new insights. I don’t get a sense of who the writer is. Most dating blogs are written by younger people and women (myself included) and the potentially different perspective offered by a dating blog written by a 48-year-old man would be most welcome. Yet, it reads much like the dating blogs written by younger men–he’s looking for the same women (hotties) as the younger guys, though he is willing to date women his age and older. Yet, all the older women do is complain that men their own age only want to date younger women. Really? Maybe. He is one of these men!

I read a lot of dating blogs and this one does not stand out. However, it is very new and there is room for improvement. A more personal voice and more details about the writer’s feelings about his experiences might make it an interesting read.NULL

You know what I really enjoy in a weblog? Knowing who or what I’m going to be reading about. The Antique Mommy doesn’t waste any time with that by providing readers with a brief introduction to her weblog right at the top of the site’s layout: “I was nearly 44 when I had my baby. This blog chronicles the mostly joys and sometimes challenges of living in the brave new world of hot flashes, sloppy cookie kisses and trimming itty bitty finger nails while wearing bi-focals.”

The site only has archives listing back to July 2005. The very first post goes into detail on how The Antique Mommy wound up a mommy, and how she decided on this name of this weblog. It’s a really great entry to start off this weblog, and I felt like I knew quite a bit more about the “behind the scenes” life of The Antique Mommy. It’s a great way to start reading this site.

The design is simple. It’s a site hosted by Blog*Spot, and appears to be somewhat of a standard template. It’s a two-column design that compliments the site well. With her profile at the top of the site, it immediately clues readers in on the information they’re about to read. She lists her archives, recent posts, and different blogs she reads along the left-hand column. The different browns that are used in the layout – the different pattern background, the hyperlinks, and the color used behind the text – all mesh very well together. Unlike many sites, this is one that’s very visually kind and that’s always appreciated in the blog world.

Turning her toddler’s developing speech into a round of Jeopardy, finding out her innocent little son is ratting her out on all of their shopping trips and fast food lunch excursions, and just the general fun and hijinks that come along with parenthood are examples of some of the entertaining entries you’ll read throughout the five months of archives.

The Antique Mommy is a great writer. Her entries seem more like short stories, and whether the posts have pictures of her adorable son or happen to be about how she and her husband (The Antique Daddy) are adjusting to life with little Sean, they always seem to pull at one heartstring or another. The entries are certainly enjoyable to people that are at all entertained by little kid stories.

My biggest complaint (and I use that word very lightly) is that there aren’t more posts to read. With a little boy who has just turned two, though, I can see how the lack of free time could definitely be a roadblock. Readers should take advantage of the posts that are there and enjoy reading about this sudden change in the Antique Mommy’s life. NULL